Everett Wiggins is a reference librarian with a Masters degree in literature. He is always looking for something good to read, and offers these thoughts to help you. His favorites include The Autobiography of Malcom X, Anna Karenina, Kurt Vonnegut, and Harry Potter. They include others, too, but space is limited...

06 May 2013

The Neyer / James Guide to Pitchers

Bill James and Rob Neyer, The Neyer / James Guide to Pitchers. NY: Fireside, 2004.
This volume fills a gaping hole in the baseball reference library. The bulk of it is an encyclopedic compendium of (almost) all Major League pitchers, listing not their statistical records, but, as can best be determined, what each actually threw—something that had never before been aggregated, or in some cases, even recorded.
Additionally, the authors provide detailed discussion of the various pitches, looking at the historical development, alternative names, and most successful practitioners of each; a debate about pitcher abuse; and short biographies of several outstanding but under-appreciated former stars.